History

The year is 1976

You head into the local community bank to deposit your $473 paycheck

You’ll pay your $281 mortgage with a check and withdraw $10 to buy a full tank of gas

You’ll earn 5% annual interest on the $50 you put into your savings account

Life is good pic.twitter.com/fvc5aoBzkG

— Dirt Cheap Banks (@dirtcheapbanks) June 8, 2026

 

An Insight

Humans have deep-rooted desires for status.

These are best accommodated in diversified small human communities, where everyone can be the expert at their thing.

Social media makes us unhappy, because our community becomes the world, and to a first approximation, we are all…

— Paul Novosad (@paulnovosad) June 4, 2026

 

I see wonderful things

Corvids are widely considered some of the smartest animals on Earth, with cognitive abilities that rival those of great apes and young human children. Their problem-solving skills, use of tools, make them standout subjects in animal intelligence research.pic.twitter.com/Os9Ddru2OZ

— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) June 9, 2026

 

Offbeat Humor

This is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. pic.twitter.com/fPRMP8XIUR

— Hillel Fuld (@HilzFuld) June 8, 2026

 

Data Talks

🚨 Wanna puke?

Over 40,000 university professors are here on H-1B visas. That's over 40,000 American academics who are out of a job.

Roughly 72–73% of those are from India.

A Fox News investigation revealed that 90% of H1-B visas from India have been obtained using… pic.twitter.com/7E3DxM8zEf

— NizNellie3 (@NizNellie3) June 8, 2026

 

Landscape with the Gathering of the Ashes of Phocion by his Widow, 1648 by Nicolas Poussin

Landscape with the Gathering of the Ashes of Phocion by his Widow, 1648 by Nicolas Poussin (France, 1594-1665)

Click to enlarge.

These were the doctrine that all men are created equal, that they are endowed with certain inalienable rights, and that therefore the source of the just powers of government must be derived from the consent of the governed.

From Speech on the 150th Anniversary of the Declaration by Calvin Coolidge.  

When we come to examine the action of the Continental Congress in adopting the Declaration of Independence in the light of what was set out in that great document and in the light of succeeding events, we can not escape the conclusion that it had a much broader and deeper significance than a mere secession of territory and the establishment of a new nation. Events of that nature have been taking place since the dawn of history. One empire after another has arisen, only to crumble away as its constituent parts separated from each other and set up independent governments of their own. Such actions long ago became commonplace. They have occurred too often to hold the attention of the world and command the admiration and reverence of humanity. There is something beyond the establishment of a new nation, great as that event would be, in the Declaration of Independence which has ever since caused it to be regarded as one of the great charters that not only was to liberate America but was everywhere to ennoble humanity.

It was not because it was proposed to establish a new nation, but because it was proposed to establish a nation on new principles, that July 4, 1776, has come to be regarded as one of the greatest days in history. Great ideas do not burst upon the world unannounced. They are reached by a gradual development over a length of time usually proportionate to their importance. This is especially true of the principles laid down in the Declaration of Independence. Three very definite propositions were set out in its preamble regarding the nature of mankind and therefore of government. These were the doctrine that all men are created equal, that they are endowed with certain inalienable rights, and that therefore the source of the just powers of government must be derived from the consent of the governed.

If no one is to be accounted as born into a superior station, if there is to be no ruling class, and if all possess rights which can neither be bartered away nor taken from them by any earthly power, it follows as a matter of course that the practical authority of the Government has to rest on the consent of the governed. While these principles were not altogether new in political action, and were very far from new in political speculation, they had never been assembled before and declared in such a combination. But remarkable as this may be, it is not the chief distinction of the Declaration of Independence. The importance of political speculation is not to be underestimated, as I shall presently disclose. Until the idea is developed and the plan made there can be no action.

It was the fact that our Declaration of Independence containing these immortal truths was the political action of a duly authorized and constituted representative public body in its sovereign capacity, supported by the force of general opinion and by the armies of Washington already in the field, which makes it the most important civil document in the world. It was not only the principles declared, but the fact that therewith a new nation was born which was to be founded upon those principles and which from that time forth in its development has actually maintained those principles, that makes this pronouncement an incomparable event in the history of government. It was an assertion that a people had arisen determined to make every necessary sacrifice for the support of these truths and by their practical application bring the War of Independence to a successful conclusion and adopt the Constitution of the United States with all that it has meant to civilization.

Can one legitimately claim Simon Bolivar to be an Age of Enlightenment Classical Liberal?

There are hundreds of thing which wash across my awareness, I mull awhile, have questions, and move on to something more immediate and pragmatic.

The history of South America is an area of epistemic weakness for me. I lived in Venezuela as a young child and probably have a greater awareness of Simon Bolivar and the wars of South American independence than most.  

But much of my knowledge is an unstructured amalgamation of knowledge from archaeology, natural sciences, military and nautical history, economic development, etc.  

One of the things I have mulled and parked over the years is the degree to which Simon Bolivar might be considered a Classical Liberal out of the mold of the Age of Enlightenment.  I have always been fascinated by the differing fates of the different Classical Liberal revolutions (America - astonishing stability and prosperity, Haiti - tyranny and genocide, Portugal - forestalled by the Lisbon earthquake, and France - tyranny and mass military death.)  

I have always had the sense that Bolivar and the wars of liberation in South America belong in that catalogue as well but just haven't had the knowledge base to assess it.  

What does Gemini think?

JCB:  Can one legitimately claim Simon Bolivar to be an Age of Enlightenment Classical Liberal?

Gemini:  

Confidence Assessment: High Confidence 

 

Yes, it is historically legitimate to categorize Simón Bolívar as a figure within the tradition of the Age of Enlightenment and Classical Liberalism, though with significant nuances necessitated by the geopolitical realities of 19th-century South America.

The Enlightenment and Liberal Foundation 

 

Bolívar’s political philosophy was deeply rooted in the intellectual climate of the Enlightenment, which he encountered extensively during his formative years in Europe, particularly in Spain, France, and Italy.

Philosophical Roots: His rhetoric and writings—such as the Jamaica Letter (1815) and his address to the Congress of Angostura (1819)—demonstrate a clear adherence to Enlightenment values, including the sovereignty of the people, the necessity of a tripartite division of powers, and the sanctity of personal liberty.

Classical Liberal Influence: Bolívar was heavily influenced by thinkers like Montesquieu, Rousseau, and Locke. He consistently argued against absolute monarchy and the colonial system, advocating instead for constitutional republicanism, freedom of the press, and the abolition of slavery.

The Practical Divergence (The "Authoritarian Liberal" Paradox) 

 

While his foundational ideology was Classical Liberal, Bolívar’s practical governance is often described as "authoritarian liberalism" or "republican paternalism," which causes some scholars to debate the purity of his liberal label.

Governance Realities: Bolívar famously argued that the "crude" political maturity of the newly independent South American populations made the pure, decentralized liberalism of the United States—which he admired in principle—inapplicable to the region in practice.

Centralized Authority: He advocated for a strong, centralized executive (exemplified by his proposed "Life President" and the Constitution of Bolivia of 1826) as a necessary safeguard against the anarchy and civil strife that threatened to destroy the nascent republics.

The Conflict: This creates the paradox: he utilized liberal goals (representative government, end of colonial rule) but employed illiberal methods (centralized power, sometimes dictatorial control) to ensure the stability necessary for those goals to eventually take root.

Conclusion 

 

Legitimately claiming Bolívar as a Classical Liberal is accurate in terms of his stated vision and philosophical origins, as he explicitly rejected monarchy and championed individual rights and constitutional order. However, his political methodology often departed from strict Classical Liberalism in favor of an interventionist, strong-state approach that he believed was the only alternative to systemic collapse.

In short, he is best understood as a pragmatic Enlightenment liberal who believed the liberal project required an illiberal, strong-state "bridge" to succeed in the context of early 19th-century Venezuela and Colombia.

Sources:

Bolívar, S. (1819). Address to the Congress of Angostura.

Lynch, J. (2006). Simón Bolívar: A Life.

Bushnell, D. (1970). The Liberator, Simón Bolívar: Man and Image.

In the context of the other Age of Enlightenment revolutions mentioned, this was one which sounds as if it died aborning.  The motivation and aspiration was Classical Liberalism in the Age of Enlightenment mold but its implementation fell back into to traditional coercion and tyranny.  

The Gemini assessment does not contradict anything I know and is a useful summary subject to revision based on (possible) future deeper knowledge.  

Sometimes there is no context. It is what it is.

Man, what times we live in.  The pursuit of truth is both easier and more haphazard.

A video is making the rounds of a very recent incident in Birmingham, England.  The broader context is two-fold, English governments have been increasingly totalitarian in recent years, completely forsaking freedom of speech and seeking more control of information.  Further, there is widespread belief, and part of the recent dramatic surge of the Reform Party, that Britain has devolved into a racist two-tier system of justice whereby white English are subject to a more exacting interpretation and application of the law and that darker and foreign-born residents are not subject to the law at all.

Further fueling the fire is a recently completed trial.  An innocent young white man was stabbed by a person of color.  As the victim lay dying, pleading for help, the police took statements from the assailant, who falsely claimed a racial incident.  The victim died in police custody as a result of his untreated wounds.  The assailant was recently convicted but the widespread feeling has been that if the police treated the innocent victim as a victim rather than a presumed racist, his life might have been saved.

With that as context, this is the video of what happened a few days ago.

The full video is even worse.pic.twitter.com/sXAF5FMY4N https://t.co/ChYR6r9I77

— RAW EGG NATIONALIST (@Babygravy9) July 3, 2026

It appears to show a drunk white man being harassed by three or four people of color.  He is assaulted by one of the individuals and knocked to the ground.  As he staggers up from the ground a police officer dashes into the affray and slams him up against the wall, restrains him and tells him he is under arrest.  As the officer slams him against the wall, he appears to raise a defensive arm which may have brushed or struck the officer.  He was immediately compliant when she identified herself.  

The assailants run down the street, followed leisurely by other officers.  They stopped and spoke with the police officers.  They apparently were not detained.  

All the outraged retweets are making comments in the above context, complaining about anti-white copes more interested in further harassing white victims rather than dealing with actual crime.  Astonishingly, the police department has released a statement to the effect that they are aware of the incident, they have reviewed, that the police behaved consistently with policy and that they will try and find the actual assailants.

Now this looks like Exhibit A for an anti-white police force with a two-tier justice system which favors foreigners and punishes white English victims. 

And anything too pat must be taken with a dose of salt.  Surely there is something more, a context or circumstance which dictates a different interpretation.  As an example, if the white victim had earlier instigated a dispute with his assailants, verbally and/or physically, then that might clarify the police officer's actions.  I look around and can't find anything.

Ah, yes.  Grok.  Exactly what this tool can be used for.

@Babygravy9 posts extended Birmingham street footage showing a young white man in a white t-shirt involved in a confrontation with a group, then aggressively grabbed and arrested by female officers for assaulting police after he swings at one during the chaos.

The post quotes Reform UK’s Zia Yusuf, who accuses officers of ignoring ethnic minority assailants, delaying intervention until the victim is downed, using insults like “dick,” and citing the police Race Action Plan as mandating lighter policing of black individuals.

Video frames capture the man pinned against a shutter, slammed into a police car, and handled roughly while the initial group disperses, fueling wider online discussion on perceived unequal UK policing standards.

Analyze police Race Action Plan

Explore Reform UK policing stance

Yep.  we watched the same video.  Now.  

JCB:  Are there any mitigating circumstances or context which change the interpretation of this video?  For example, did the arrested fellow start a fight before the video starts?

Grok thinks a bit.  

Yes, there is important context and mitigating information that significantly changes or qualifies the interpretation of the circulating videos. 

europeanconservative.com

Key Facts of the Incident The incident occurred around 1:30 a.m. on June 21, 2026, on Broad Street in Birmingham (a nightlife area). The arrested individual is a 20-year-old white man named Cody Harper. He was charged with assaulting a police officer (an emergency worker) and bailed to appear at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court on July 23, 2026. 

birminghammail.co.uk

West Midlands Police responded to reports of disorder and found a group of men fighting. During the response, an officer was punched. One man (Harper) was arrested for that assault on police. The force reviewed the incident and stated the officer’s actions were “reasonable and proportionate.” They are separately investigating the initial assault and have appealed for witnesses/information to identify others involved (crime reference 20/308133/26). 

instagram.com

What the Videos Show vs. Full Context The shorter and longer videos (the ones widely shared, including in the post you referenced) begin mid-incident. They do not show what happened before the camera started rolling. Police describe it as an ongoing group fight involving multiple men (around five), not necessarily a one-sided unprovoked attack on a passive victim. 

europeanconservative.com

In the footage: Harper appears to be pushed/knocked down and struck by others. 

 

Police (including female officers) intervene. 

 

A female officer grabs him and pushes him against a shutter/wall. 

 

He swings/punches toward her (described by some observers as a quick, possibly reflexive reaction while disoriented). 

 

He is subdued, placed in a police car (with some roughness visible, including language and handling), and arrested for assault on police. 

 

The other men disperse/walk away without immediate arrest at the scene.

Mitigating factors: Assault on the officer provides clear legal justification for arrest: Striking a police officer is a distinct and serious offense, separate from whatever happened in the initial fight. Even if Harper mistook the officer for another attacker in the chaos (dark street, sudden physical contact without clear prior verbal identification, right after being attacked), the act itself led to the arrest. Some analyses of the video note he appeared to stop once he realized it was police. 

europeanconservative.com

Police did not simply “watch and wait”: They responded to a reported group fight/disorder. The videos capture the intervention phase, not passive observation of an attack. 

 

Attackers are not being ignored: Police launched a separate investigation into the initial assault on Harper using the available footage and appealed publicly for help identifying those involved. They are not “letting them run off without consequence” in the long term, though no immediate arrests of the others are shown in the video. 

 

Pre-video events unknown: It is possible (though unconfirmed in public reports) that Harper was involved in the fight earlier, or that it was more mutual than the partial footage suggests. The circulating clips start after the confrontation is already underway. 

 

Self-defense/mistake-of-fact considerations: In the heat of the moment—after being attacked in a group altercation, grabbed suddenly from behind/side without clear identification—a reflexive swing could be argued as reasonable self-defense or honest mistake. This would be for the court to assess with full evidence (including any bodycam footage, which has not been fully released publicly).

Other Relevant Details  Police asked people to stop sharing the footage further while the legal process runs its course. Critics (including Reform UK figures like Zia Yusuf and Robert Jenrick) have highlighted the visible focus on Harper while others left, rough handling, and broader concerns about “two-tier policing” linked to race-related policies. Police have pushed back, standing by the officer’s conduct. 

facebook.com

The longer “full video” primarily shows more of the arrest process itself (including verbal exchanges and handling), which some viewers describe as harsher, but it does not add significant pre-fight context.Bottom line: The visible footage supports concerns about prioritization, handling, and the optics of attackers dispersing while the person who struck an officer is quickly arrested and processed. However, the assault on police provides a straightforward legal basis for Harper’s arrest, the response was to an ongoing group fight (not passive watching), and police are actively investigating the initial attackers. Without complete pre-video footage, bodycam, or court evidence, claims that Harper was purely an innocent victim “arrested for defending himself” while attackers were deliberately protected remain partially unverified. Court proceedings may clarify self-defense or mitigating factors around the swing at the officer.This is based on police statements, news reporting, and the widely circulated videos as of early July 2026. More details (e.g., full bodycam or witness accounts) could emerge.

4 web pages

Explore self-defense legal standards

Investigate two-tier policing debates

Hmmm.  That doesn't seem to be anything more than a regurgitation of what is already known.  I query.  

JCB:  Interesting.  Nothing you raise seems to materially change the interpretation of the video.  I take it for granted that striking an officer, intentionally or unintentionally, is an arrestable offense.  The fact that the officer physically assaulted Harper first, immediately subsequent to the attack by his assailants is a context.  The fact that the officers did not immediately arrest the assailants is the salient point.  The fact that they might be looking for them after the fact does not seem to change the fact that the police seemed focused on arresting the victim and not the assailants.  I was looking for context to explain why they might have chosen to assault and detain the victim.  I can imagine some scenarios (such as his having been the instigator of an earlier mayhem) but I am seeing nothing like that being reported and you seem to confirm that there was no obvious reason for the police to have prioritized physically manhandling the victim first rather than the assailants.

Grok:

Officer prioritization and handling: The footage shows police (including the female officer) focusing on Harper immediately upon intervention—grabbing and pushing him against the shutter—while the other men disperse without on-scene arrest. This supports the optics of prioritizing the person who later struck an officer over the apparent initial assailants, with no public evidence (as of now) that Harper was the clear instigator beforehand.

No confirmed pre-video instigation: Police described responding to a "group of men fighting," but circulating videos and reports do not show events leading up to the visible confrontation; there are no verified reports or statements indicating Harper started the broader altercation. The separate ongoing investigation into the attackers (with a public appeal) implies they were not immediately identifiable or detained at the scene.

Possible operational context without full evidence: In a chaotic nighttime group disorder, officers may have perceived Harper as the immediate threat (or the one easiest to control) after the initial physical contact, leading to the grab; the subsequent punch by him then solidified the arrest for assault on police. Without released bodycam footage or detailed witness accounts, the exact decision-making (e.g., why not pursue others first) remains unclear, though police maintain the actions were proportionate after internal review.

Analyze police use-of-force protocols

Review bystander video evidence analysis

Clarify the distinction between assault and arrest

Seeking further confirmation since the actual conclusion seems contra to its first summary.

JCB:  So right now, there is no countervailing evidence to the popular conclusion to be drawn from the video other than a police assurance that they were correct in their actions.  Is that a reasonable conclusion?

Grok:

Yes, that is a reasonable assessment of the currently available public information: The circulating videos show Harper being attacked, then immediately grabbed/pushed by police (who focus on him while others disperse), followed by his strike on an officer; this visually supports the popular narrative of unequal immediate treatment and aggressive focus on the apparent victim.

Police statements provide some counter but are limited: They confirm responding to a group fight (not passive watching), cite Harper’s punch on the officer as grounds for arrest, and note a separate active investigation into the assailants (with public appeal for IDs)—yet no bodycam, pre-video footage, or witness details have been released to directly refute the video’s optics.

No strong independent counter-evidence yet: There are no verified reports, additional videos, or third-party accounts showing Harper clearly instigated the fight beforehand or justifying the specific prioritization/handling in the moment; fuller context (court proceedings, bodycam) could alter this, but as of now the video drives the widespread interpretation with police assurances as the main rebuttal.

Analyze police use of force protocols

Investigate bystander intervention strategies

Clarify the distinction between optics and legal facts

Think Harder

I don't like that the first news reporting comes across as racist clickbait and/or political pyrotechnics.  

I don't like that a reasonable scan of sources turns up nothing to contradict the appearance in the video.

I do like that Grok can search much more than I can.

I don't like that Grok seems to have regurgitated the police line on its first summary.

It is notable that, when pressed, Grok provided a completely opposite interpretation than that asserted by the police.

As I said - The pursuit of truth is both easier and more haphazard.

Hiistory

“The 9,000 who never made it home”

In 2013, British artists Jamie Wardley and Andy Moss created a striking temporary artwork on the beach at Arromanches, Normandy. Known as The Fallen 9000, the project involved volunteers using stencils and rakes to etch thousands of human… pic.twitter.com/DMJnnouRNz

— Historic Vids (@historyinmemes) June 8, 2026